Gary Neville claims Trent Alexander-Arnold was ‘lucky’ not to receive a second yellow card after clashing twice with Anthony Gordon during Liverpool’s game against Newcastle to …
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Gary Neville has claimed Trent Alexander-Arnold was lucky not to be shown a second yellow card during the opening stages of Liverpool’s game against Newcastle.
The English right-back received a yellow in the sixth minute of the match after he was shoved in the back by Anthony Gordon.
Displeased at the challenge, Alexander-Arnold threw the ball away receiving an immediate booking from referee John Brooks.
Play continued, with the 24-year-old running up to the other end of the field to recover the ball from the Magpies, and again clashing with the former Everton man, putting his arm across Gordon and thumping him to the ground with his shoulder.
Alexander-Arnold was walking on a fine line and could have received another yellow and a subsequent red card for the challenge, with Gary Neville on commentary for Sky Sports claiming that he was fortunate not to be sent off.
‘Trent steps out to the left and puts his arm out across Gordon,’ Neville said.
‘He’s lucky.
‘Would Klopp think about substituting him? It’s cauldron out there.
‘He has sent out Gomez to warm up. I’m not surprised at all. It must be a serious consideration.’
‘Well this is it, he gets past Trent Alexander Arnold. Maybe he’s got it right the referee. I certainly think it should have been a yellow card if he wasn’t booked just before it, Neville added.
‘He’s smiling Jurgen Klopp but I don’t think he will be inside. Eddie Howe certainly not.
It wasn’t long after Liverpool found themselves a goal down, with Alexander-Arnold making a mistake that allowed Gordon score Newcastle’s opener opener.
The right-back failed to control Mohamed Salah’s pass back with Gordon coming from behind him to pounce on his poor touch, before taking possession and going on to put the home side 1-0 up.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ Neville said speaking on Alexander-Arnold’s mistake.
‘Someone who can control the ball with either foot lets it go under his left boot fatally. Gordon is on top of him. Capitalises on that error. I mean he could have been sent off any way if he had have come back.
‘But you just ask the question. Allison one of the best one-v-one, Gordon just puts it through his legs. Eddie Howe is ecstatic. As is that man [Gordon] who used to play on the blue half of Merseyside.’
It then went from bad to worse for the Reds, with Virgil van Dijk being sent off for a tackle on Alexander Isak, with the Dutch centre-back bringing the Newcastle forward down as he broke free on the Liverpool goal.
The challenge was sent for a VAR review but the officials ultimately agreed that the challenge was a foul with John Brooks sending the 32-year-old down the tunnel.
Klopp subsequently had to make a tactical change, bringing on Joe Gomez for Luis Diaz in the 33rd minute.
More to follow…
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